In Tencent and the Chinese government’s latest effort to battle potential gaming addiction in children and minors, Tencent has now rolled out a new digital lock restriction in twelve major cities that will make kids only be able to play PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings if the app is unlocked by a guardian. [Thanks, Xinhuanet!]
When underage players create an account and access the game for the first time, the digital lock may have a chance of appearing and blocking them from playing the game. The reasoning is that parents will be more aware and be able to control the amount of time the children play video games.
In order to unlock the app to play, parents will need to enter their relationship with the kid, their mobile phone number, a photo of their ID card, and, a photo together with their child, as well as a short video.
Tencent is currently rolling out the system in twelve cities including Beijing and Chengdu, as a test trial. Depending on the results, it may be rolled out to the rest of China. Previously, Tencent began to limit children 12 year olds or younger to only one hour of game per day, as well as a 9pm-8am curfew where they wouldn’t be able to play at all.
Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile are available for iOS and Android.
